


Princely Training: An uke!Rowan Anthology

by CloverHouraisan



Category: Fire Emblem Musou | Fire Emblem Warriors, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkward Sexual Situations, Boys' Love, Explicit Consent, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Multiple Orgasms, Personality Swap, Possession, Reconciliation, Rough Sex, Scent Kink, Spoilers, Verbal Humiliation, Wet Dream, Yaoi, sweat kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-02 05:08:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15789582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloverHouraisan/pseuds/CloverHouraisan
Summary: This is a collection of stories where Rowan is the bottom in relationships with the men of Fire Emblem Warriors.  Plain and simple.  Content warnings will be marked on a chapter by chapter basis, but most of it will be pretty vanilla.  All of them will be smutty, so just be warned if that's of concern to you.





	1. Darios/Rowan: Barely Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really wanted this to be a separate story since it includes a lot of headcanons I have about Darios/Rowan, but I'll probably write something about that later. Also, there's some spoiler alerts for the latter part of the story and mentions of violence against animals and torture of POWs, so beware. The rest of the stories aren't likely going to be this dark, I swear. Also, matchmaker Caeda for the win.

In all of his life, Rowan had never been more confused with what was going on.  Days earlier, he and his army of heroes from other realms had planned a counter strike against the Gristonne army at the Fortified Citadel following Prince Darios's prompt disappearance into the inner sanctum.  What followed upon his rescue and the collection of the final Gleamstone came completely out of left field, turning Rowan's world as well as his sister Lianna's completely upside-down.  The Darios that returned to them seemed to be heavily under the influence of the Chaos Dragon's power, stealing the completed Shield of Flames, holding Queen Yelena hostage, and even going so far as to murder his father, King Oskar, in cold blood to complete the dragon's summoning ritual when his plans to murder Yelena fell through.  After knocking sense back into him, Rowan thought all was over.  He thought he had successfully repelled the Chaos Dragon's influence out of Darios's mind, and they were going to reunite to undo the damage that had been done.  What unfolded next was forever seared into the memories of everyone in attendance.  As Darios staggered forward to rejoin his childhood friends following the dragon's summoning, Frederick all of a sudden rode around Darios's back and smacked him with all of his might using the flat face of his axe.  Darios was propelled forward into Rowan's arms, barely missing a strike from a dark energy sword that was intended to finish him off, but Frederick's horse took the brunt of the hit, getting severely injured by the blade stabbing its hindquarters and launching Frederick several feet behind the party from the forward motion transferred in the strike.  From what Sakura and Caeda could tell, he had broken several bones in taking a sudden impact with such heavy armor on, and the horse wasn't doing much better.  His neck had miraculously survived without so much as a hairline fracture, but nobody was ever able to figure out why in the moment until Azura revealed that she left an offering at the temple to preserve the army's health as their struggle got more intense.  Perhaps that had saved the horse as well, as Cordelia acted quickly enough to save enough muscle tissue for it to canter away from the void that was starting to open up where the dragon had been summoned.  They couldn't do anything too immediately major in the way of healing because of the imminent danger the Chaos Dragon posed on their lives, so Cordelia and Minerva had to retreat ahead of the group and haul a badly battered but still breathing Frederick back to the base camp.  Caeda had to corral his horse away, continuing to heal it until it could gallop.  All the foot soldiers left next, with Darios being passed off to Leo to make the escape to the medical tent faster for the unconscious prince.  The remaining fliers brought up the rear, using their higher vantage points to call out potential ambushes off in the distance.  
  
Once they made it safely to their camp, which was set in the outskirts of the now-ruined Aytolis castle town, Darios was rushed to the medical tent along with Queen Yelena and Frederick.  Rowan was right behind them, waiting anxiously in the holding area with his sister and Azura.  His head was swirling with a whole mishmash of emotions from relief to fear to anger to sadness.  He was still trying to process everything that led up to this moment.  What had gone wrong?  What had the Gristonne forces done to Darios to corrupt him so?  Was his friend permanently damaged because of this?  Most importantly, why couldn't he have been stronger to make sure Darios wasn't taken in the first place?  Rowan could barely contain himself, slamming his fist into the bench he was sitting on.  
  
"Argh, damn it all!" Rowan growled.  
  
"Are you displeased with the outcome of the battle?" Azura asked.  
  
"No, I just...  I know things could've gone better!" Rowan didn't even look at Azura as he let his anger out.  "If I'd been just a little stronger, I could've saved him the first time...!"  
  
"But Prince Darios is safe.  There is no need to worry." Azura tried to reassure him.  
  
"What if it's already too late...?  The damage is already done, so what's the point?  All of this could've been avoided if I broke down that door and saved him the first time." Rowan turned away from Azura and Lianna with a huff, leaving the bench to stew in the corner of the room.  Lianna and Azura exchanged concerned looks before the songstress spoke up.  
  
"I wish I knew something I could do to get his mind off of what could've been." Azura smiled sadly.  "There's no use in exploring hypothetical thoughts once it's after the fact."  
  
"He tends to get down on himself really hard when things go wrong." Lianna explained.  "Well, it's not usually this bad, but considering what happened..."  
  
"In a way, he has every right to want more out of himself." Xander walked in.  "As a growing boy and future king, Rowan cannot afford to rest on his laurels.  He must continue striving to put more forward for himself, his friends, and eventually, the people of Aytolis."  
  
"But where does he draw the line and make more space for self-love?" Azura responded with a question.  "It's abundantly clear that he blames everything that has happened since Prince Darios's disappearance on himself.  Even if he must bear the burden of a kingdom on his shoulders, it would be too much for one boy alone to bear.  He may be a royal like you, but this isn't Nohr anymore."  
  
The discussion slowly ground to a halt.  Xander couldn't deny the truth of what Azura had said.  His views were melded by the unforgiving experience of growing up as a first-born son to a king like Garon.  He had to toughen up, otherwise his claim to the throne would have come under threat.  Rowan, however, was not like him in that respect.  He was born to a frail father and a kind mother with a fraternal twin sister.  There was a lot in his life that he felt needed protection, especially since the main patriarch was unable to provide such protection. To think that a peer that he had trusted nearly destroyed everything he held dear was something Xander could see in his complicated relationship with Iago.  For a moment, the only sound in the tent was the white noise of nature around them.  
  
"I suppose that's why he has you, Lianna." Xander broke his silence.  "You keep a calm head and make your moves with more calculation than he does.  It's up to you to channel his energy and emotion towards something productive rather than self-destructive."  
  
Lianna didn't respond immediately.  She had heard similar things from King Oskar following her father's passing.  She sometimes worried that this kind of relationship was going to hold Rowan back more than it would help.  She feared he would become unable to stand on his own.  However, over the course of their new journey to reclaim the land from the Outrealm monsters, it seemed that fate was determined to show them just how much they had grown.  All the way from Frederick's first trial to their most recent mission to save Darios from himself, the twins went from having to rely on their friends to keep them safe to leading a charge into a dangerous situation with minimal involvement outside of Robin and Corrin's tactics.  While Rowan still had more growing to do, Lianna knew herself how much he had grown from a kid who flailed his sword around without much purpose to a young man with a clear goal in his heart.  
  
"You're right." Lianna replied.  "However, I think there's some baggage that he needs to unpack on his own right now, especially with respect to Darios."  
  
"Very well, then.  Let us keep waiting for the healers to see how bad things are." Xander sat down.  "I think it should go without saying that we cannot bring Frederick into battle until we have assessed whether his horse can fight again or not.  I will have my siblings help him find and tame a new horse if needed."  
  
"Thank you, Xander." Lianna smiled weakly.  "Oh!  I think we have a report!"  
  
Sakura emerged from the operating tent, Grand Festal in hand.  Caeda was at her side with a Recover staff.  
  
"Thank you everyone for being so patient." Sakura bowed her head.  "I bring good news and bad news."  
  
"Tell us the bad news first." Lianna said, anxious to hear what was going on.  
  
"The bad news is that Frederick will likely be out of commission for several weeks, if not a few months." Caeda said.  "We were able to realign and mend his bones with our staves, but he will need to be restricted in his activity until we know his bones have regained full strength.  Additionally, he will need to have someone take over his duties until he's well enough to do them himself, and that includes keeping him from trying to overwork himself while he's healing."  
  
"I see." Lianna could only imagine how Chrom and Lissa would feel about this news.  "What's the good news?"  
  
"The good news is that his operations went smoothly.  There was minimal internal bleeding, and what little there was got fixed up in the last hour.  His horse should also be okay after some more visits, though I'm not sure how much of its strength it needs to regain after this." Sakura replied.  "As for Queen Yelena and Prince Darios, they are both completely okay.  Queen Yelena may resume normal activity starting tomorrow.  Prince Darios must remain under careful watch at all times until Tiki can assess whether the Chaos Dragon can still influence his mind."  
  
Rowan suddenly looked up at the mention of Darios's name, snapped out of his brooding.  
  
"W-Where is he?!" Rowan shouted.  "I need to see him!"  
  
"We weren't going to allow visitors until tomorrow, but if you have pressing business with Prince Darios, I can allow you to stay, but for no longer than an hour." Caeda stood aside, letting Rowan enter.  "He needs to rest after everything he's been through."  
  
"That's fine.  An hour may be all I need." Rowan stood and walked into the operating tent.  There were several bed rolls set out across the floor including several that were stitched together into one massive bed roll for Frederick's horse.  Frederick and Yelena were asleep to the left of the horse.  He was a little shocked at how much smaller Frederick looked without armor.  Granted, he was still quite muscular, but even the armor alone definitely helped add to his looming physique.  When his gaze shifted to his mother, Rowan smiled softly.  There would be a lot for them to catch up on tomorrow, but for now, he had to let her rest.  Finally, he arrived at Darios's bed roll.  He was the only one not asleep.  When their eyes met, Rowan stood still for a few moments.  The Darios he knew before the invasion seemed to be looking back at him, and Rowan found himself on the verge of tears.  
  
"D-Darios..." Rowan was nearly brought to his knees just seeing Darios alive and well. "Darios!"  
  
He collapsed into Darios's waiting arms, crying into the prince's chest.  Darios gently rubbed his head, comforting Rowan as much as he could.  This was probably the most intense test of their friendship they had ever experienced.  Even prior political tensions between Aytolis and Gristonne couldn't compare to what they had just gone through that day.  Rowan didn't even care if his mother, Frederick, or anyone else in the holding tent could hear him.  He had sorely missed Darios, even if it had only been a few days.  
  
"Rowan..." Darios continued to hold the blonde prince close.  "It's okay.  I'm here, and I'm not going anytime soon."  
  
"I was... so scared...!" Rowan sobbed.  "I thought I was gonna lose you!"  
  
"It takes more than an age-old hex to take me down.  You should know that better than most, Rowan." Darios laughed.  "Hey, can you look at me for a moment?"  
  
Rowan turned his head up, his eyes red with tears.  Darios gently brought a hand up to dry Rowan's tears.  There was a solemn look in his eyes.  
  
"Rowan...  I owe you and Lianna an apology.  I... lied to you.  I deceived you.  I betrayed your trust." Darios's voice shook with emotion.  
"Please forgive me if I have done irreparable damage to our friendship."  
  
"Don't say that!" Rowan shook Darios by the shoulders.  They remained still for a moment.  "That wasn't you.  That man...  That monster...  He couldn't have been farther from the Darios I know!"  
  
"Rowan, that monster was me, no matter how you look at it.  It was because of my own weak heart that I let things spiral as far out of control as they did.  Allow me to tell you what they did to me when I was captured at the citadel." Darios took a breath.  "I was attacked by a mysterious spiritual entity after the door closed on me.  It was a vicious attack not only on my body, but also my mind.  I held out until Gristonne guards brought me to my father.  I was treated like a traitor."  
  
"W-What did they do to you?" Rowan asked, transfixed by Darios's story.  
  
"I was tortured right in front of my father as they questioned me for hours about your whereabouts and your plans.  Looking back on it now, I think they weren't necessarily trying to get information out of me as much as they were trying to break my spirit." Darios sighed.  "It was painfully humiliating.  My father even egged them on to be harsher with me at one point.  However, there was a moment where my mind was completely still.  I felt this dark power welling up inside me, beckoning my spirit to come closer.  The power it gave me was beyond my wildest dreams."  
  
"So that's when you... changed." Rowan felt a chill run down his spine.  Thinking he had gotten cold, Darios brought Rowan under the covers with him.  Rowan's face flushed.  He had never been in the same bed with another man, let alone one he considered to be his best friend.  He didn't mind the closeness, but it was a little embarrassing.  
  
"I think so.  I don't remember much from that time other than feeling like I hit my lowest low.  I thought I had failed you and Lianna not only as a soldier, but also as a friend." Darios felt his eyes sting with tears.  "I couldn't bear listening to myself lie to you about how it was my plan all along to pretend to fight my own kingdom and have you find the Gleamstones for me.  And when I murdered my father...  I wish I could have ended my own life right there with him."  
  
Darios took a moment to compose himself before he continued.  Rowan decided it was his turn to hold Darios close to him.  He knew that their fight was one of the hardest things he had to do in his life, but he couldn't possibly imagine how hard it was for Darios to be fighting not only his friends, but also himself.  
  
"But you couldn't end your life, right?" Rowan asked.  
  
"No.  The Chaos Dragon wouldn't allow that.  It wasn't until you felled me in battle that it deemed me too weak to be the vessel for its power.  But as you were fighting me and weakening the Chaos Dragon's hold on my mind, I saw something in your spirit that set my heart ablaze." Darios blinked away his tears.  "Your dedication to our friendship and your unwillingness to accept a world where we wouldn't be standing side by side pierced through the darkness clouding my mind and shone a guiding light where I thought I would forever be lost to the dark.  I followed the light, and all of a sudden, I was in Aytolis Castle, and all of your weapons were drawn against me."  
  
"That's when you spoke to us during the battle...!" Rowan gasped.  
  
"Exactly.  I only had a short window before the darkness would shut off that light, but it was enough to get my point across." Darios continued.  "After you defeated me, I finally regained control of myself.  The dragon manifested and attempted to kill me off, but your friend Frederick bravely risked his life to save me."  
  
Both of them looked to Frederick's bed roll.  He was sound asleep, slumbering peacefully next to his horse.  
  
"So that's what happened." Rowan brought his voice lower as not to disturb Frederick or the queen.  
  
"Yes.  This is how it happened from my perspective." Darios gently stroked Rowan's hair.  "Please, forgive me for nearly dooming your country and your friends.  As future king of Gristonne now that I killed my father, I only seek to repair and maintain a diplomatic relationship with Aytolis once this is over.  If you would like our friendship to end, I understand and bear no ill will towards you or Lianna."  
  
"Again, you're saying crazy things." Rowan stopped Darios before he could keep going on about how he deserved to be left alone to repent for his actions.  "What you did was under the Chaos Dragon's control.  He used your body for his dirty tricks.  I knew that that man who claimed to betray us couldn't have been you, even if everyone else turned against you.  You mean too much for me to just let you go like that."  
  
"Rowan...  Thank you." Darios hugged Rowan, relishing in the warmth of their bodies and the radiant brightness of Rowan's smile.  "You have no idea how much this means to me."  
  
"Also, Darios, I wanted to tell you something." Rowan pulled away for a little to look into his friend's eyes.  "To be fair, I should've said something earlier, possibly before all of this happened.  I've been holding this in for years now, and I can't stay quiet anymore knowing that we could be fighting for our lives right now."  
  
"What is it?" Darios asked.  
  
"Darios, I love you." Rowan felt his face heat up.  "I've been in love with you ever since we first met.  I was always drawn to how cool you were, but as I got older, I realized it ran much deeper than that.  I know you say you want to watch over me and keep me safe, but I want to be able to protect you too."  
  
Darios was at a loss for words.  They looked at each other expectantly for a time before Rowan spoke again.  
  
"I'm fine if you want to just be friends.  I wanted to tell you now because... I don't wanna lose you without having been completely true to you." Rowan braced himself for the potential of rejection, but he was completely thrown for a loop when Darios kissed him.  The kiss was slow, tender, and sweet.  Rowan's eyes slowly closed as he relaxed into the kiss, letting Darios get on top of him.  Rowan had dreamed of this moment for years, and now that it was becoming a reality, it was even sweeter and more beautiful than he had initially imagined.  He never thought that he would be able to be honest with the man he loved, especially with all the talk of him inheriting the throne and finding a proper queen in a woman outside of Lianna after his father's untimely death.  He didn't care if he had to fight centuries of tradition.  There was no way he was going to live his life as king without Darios in it.  When they broke for air, they looked in each other's eyes in silence, drinking in each other's presence.  The look of pure happiness on Darios's face was enough for Rowan to temporarily forget about all the tragedies that led up to this moment.  
  
"Rowan, you have no idea how happy this makes me.  I've loved you since that day as well, but I knew my father would never accept our relationship, so I kept it strictly friendly between you and me. " Darios said, leaning down to get closer to Rowan's ear.  "Well...  Now that he's gone, we don't have to worry, do we?"  
  
"I still have to ask Mother, though." Rowan bit his lip in embarrassment.  "I don't know if she would let us be in a relationship, especially if you kidnapped her and intended to murder her for her royal blood."  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you."  Darios smiled.  "When I was held in the cell in the citadel, some Gristonne guards moved your mother into my cell.  We talked about you and Lianna endlessly, and eventually, I revealed to her that I was in love with you and hoped to court you if we both survived this war."  
  
"What did she say?" Rowan asked, anxious to know the result of the discussion.  
  
"She said she knew you weren't interested in women for a long time, possibly even before you yourself had accepted it." Darios answered.  "She also said she was happy to give her permission as long as you returned my feelings."  
  
"Good, I'm so relieved..." Rowan let out a sigh.  "I was afraid I'd have to marry a woman I don't love just for appearances."  
  
"So, let me ask you formally now that I have the chance." Darios cleared his throat.  "Prince Rowan, may I have the distinct honor of courting you?"  
  
"Geez, you're so formal, Darios." Rowan chuckled.  "Of course I'll let you court me, whatever that means."  
  
"It means that you are mine, and no other man or woman will take you away from me." Darios's voice all of a sudden shifted a few tones lower and darker.  Rowan gulped.  He looked up to see if Darios's eyes had changed at all, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  Darios looked back at him with an equally surprised look.  
  
"What?  Is there something on my face?" Darios asked.  
  
"N-No, it's just that you sounded like..." Rowan's voice trailed off.  
  
"Him, right?" Darios finished the sentence.  "Well, we don't know if the Chaos Dragon's influence has fully been erased or not, so please don't worry about it."  
  
"So, could you tell me what courting is exactly?" Rowan asked.  "I genuinely only just heard it tonight."  
  
"Well, it's a fancier term for dating.  You'll usually hear it in the context of high society and royalty." Darios explained.  "Basically, I asked you to be my boyfriend."  
  
"Then why didn't you just ask me that?" Rowan couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous Darios's explanation sounded.  
  
"I'm not sure.  Tradition, I guess." Darios laughed along with Rowan.  "But stuffy language or no, I want you to know that I love you for everything you are and promise to protect you for as long as I draw breath."  
  
"My sentiments exactly." Rowan went in for another kiss, and Darios happily reciprocated.  Darios's tongue gingerly prodded at Rowan's mouth, slowly working its way in to tangle around Rowan's tongue.  Rowan almost yelped at the new sensation, but he was largely muffled by Darios's mouth over his.  Rowan's body started to warm up and fast.  He let out a soft moan as he and Darios separated for breath.  
  
"Darios...  M-More, please..." Rowan begged, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"Not tonight, love." Darios gently put a finger to Rowan's lips.  "We'll be heard if we do it here, and I don't know if you want the whole camp learning your secret that way."  
  
"I don't care.  I've held myself back for so long that I can't go any longer.  I want to be yours already." Rowan whined, grinding his body wantonly against Darios.  The dark-haired prince had no idea that Rowan had been holding this back all this time, but he couldn't deny that hearing Rowan beg for him was one of the hottest things he had ever seen in his life.  However, Darios knew that letting the situation keep going was dangerous, especially with Queen Yelena in the bed next to them, so he tried to deflect Rowan's request without outright shooting him down.  
  
"H-How long have you wanted this?" Darios asked for the sake of his curiosity.  
  
"Years.  Since we were teenagers.  It all started with those dreams." Rowan responded.  Darios hadn't realized it stretched that far back.  There had to be more of a story with this.  
  
"Go on.  Tell me about the dreams, please." Darios tried not to be too forceful when he asked, knowing how sensitive this information was.  He got off of Rowan and laid next to him on the bed roll.  
  
"I think I was about 15 and you had just turned 17.  I went with Mother to Gristonne to visit you while Lianna stayed home with a really bad flu.  Because it was just me, our parents decided that it would be easier if we stayed in the same room.  I remember because it was so cold, you would bring me to your bed.  Kinda like tonight, huh?" Rowan combed his fingers through Darios's hair casually.  "We stayed together like that for a week before I had to return home to check on Lianna with Mother.  When I slept in my own room, I found myself missing you.  I longed for your warmth, your scent, your company.  And then... those dreams started coming."  
  
"I see.  Please, for the sake of my curiosity, don't hold any details back." Darios knew exactly what he was getting into, and he was unfazed.  Rowan tried to start talking, but every time he looked away, he could only see his mother sleeping peacefully in the bed beside them.  His voice would hold up in his throat, and he couldn't speak no matter how hard he tried.  
  
"I...  I can't say.  I'm sorry, Darios.  I can't do it.  Not with my mother so close by." Rowan almost started crying again, but Darios held him close and comforted him.  
  
"No, I'm sorry for pushing you.  I didn't realize everything was happening so quickly." Darios gently kissed Rowan's forehead.  "We only just started dating, so there's no need to rush."  
  
"Y-You're right.  The world's gotten so crazy over the past few months, and I just want to enjoy this moment of peace with you right now, even if there's imminent danger on the horizon." Rowan snuggled up to Darios and yawned.  "Good night.  I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Rowan.  Sleep well." Darios gently stroked Rowan's hair until he went to sleep, given how much energy he had expended fighting for his and Darios's life.  Eventually, Caeda came in at the top of the hour to check on them.  
  
"Prince Darios, I'm surprised to see that you're still awake.  What were you and Rowan talking about?" She asked.  
  
"Rowan and I... were finally honest with each other.  About our relationship." Darios smiled warmly, looking lovingly at Rowan sleeping soundly next to him.  "I love him more than anything in the world, and I'm so happy that he felt the same way too."  
  
"As am I.  I actually wanted to push Rowan towards you a little harder after I listened to him gushing for hours about how cool and strong you were during one of our moving days, but I guess everything worked itself out in the end." Caeda sat down next to Darios at his bedside, smiling down at Rowan as well.  "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I feel much better.  I haven't tried walking, but I can sit up in bed, at least.  I'll definitely try to walk tomorrow." Darios replied.  "By the way, if Tiki is ready to see me, you can call her now."  
  
"Actually, I might hold off on that until tomorrow. You and Rowan looked really cozy like this, so I would've felt bad if I had to separate you.  In fact, I even felt bad cutting you off at one hour like I told Rowan before and let you keep talking for another hour and a half." Caeda said.  "Do you want me to bring both of you to his tent so that you may have some more privacy?"  
  
"I don't believe it's necessary if the other medics don't want me moving so soon, but if you feel that you must, I will try to be as helpful as I can with carrying Rowan." Darios let Caeda help him up.  He was still a little shaky, but it was nothing compared to how he was when the Chaos Dragon actually manifested.  With surprising strength, Caeda then used her other arm to hoist Rowan up and over her other shoulder.  His limbs flailed a little bit against her, but he eventually calmed down.  Darios tried to walk a few steps forward, but he needed a lot of help from Caeda to stay upright.  Eventually, he found a rhythm and established a comfortable stride.  They slowly made their way to Rowan's tent and put him to bed first before Darios climbed under the blankets with him.  
  
"If you need anything, Niles will still be awake and taking over Frederick's night guard duties until he recovers.  He has a staff on him as well in case any injuries are sustained." Caeda slowly made her way out of Rowan's tent.  "Enjoy the night, you two lovebirds~"  
  
Caeda left with a wink and closed the canopy of Rowan's tent behind her.  Darios stretched his body out, finally able to really relax.  He was about to try and go to sleep again if it weren't for a sound he heard from Rowan.  
  
"A-Ah...  Darios..." Rowan's mouth was slightly agape, his eyes shut, yet still expressive.  Darios thought he was in pain, so he tried to get out and alert Niles, but Rowan wouldn't let him leave.  He made a whining noise, pulled Darios down, and started grinding against him again.  He could feel something stiff in Rowan's trousers rubbing against his thigh.  Was this one of the dreams he was talking about before?  
  
"Rowan...  Are you okay?" Darios asked.  "Are you hurt?"  
  
"Ngh...  M-More..." Rowan was too far into his fantasy to really notice Darios talking to him.  Darios could feel himself getting harder as Rowan kept going.  
  
"R-Rowan...  Stop, please..." Darios whispered.  He was losing control and fast.  He couldn't deny that he wanted to wake Rowan up and give him something even greater than his fantasies.  However, he didn't want his selfish desires to ruin their friendship.  Of all the things Darios had as Prince of Gristonne, the thing he treasured the most was his friendship with Lianna and Rowan.  He had known them basically since the day they were born, and he couldn’t fathom losing something so dear to his heart.  All of a sudden, Rowan’s hand started fiddling with the front of Darios’s pants, his hand unabashedly brushing against the dark-haired prince’s dick through his smallclothes.  Darios froze.  For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to either move Rowan's hand away or wake him up.  However, this whole situation was starting to get out of hand.  He needed to do something before one of them woke up with regrets in the morning.  Reluctantly, Darios flicked the area right between Rowan's eyebrows with his index finger to wake the younger prince up.  Rowan's eyes flew open, his grip tightening around Darios's crotch from the shock of being brought out of slumber.  Darios held back a noise, trying not to look like what Rowan was doing was affecting him until he released his grip.  
  
"Darios?  What's going on?" Rowan asked.  "Where am I, and what happened to Frederick and Mother?"  
  
"Princess Caeda moved us from the medical tent to your personal tent.  She thought you would be more comfortable here." Darios lied through his teeth.  
  
"How long was I sleeping for?" Rowan asked.  
  
"No longer than ten minutes." Darios replied.  "Can we talk?"  
  
"Sure, what is it?  You sound really serious." Rowan turned his body so he was facing Darios more fully.  Even in the low light, Darios could see the bulge in Rowan's pants straining against the fabric holding it back as clearly as if in daylight.  
  
"Can you tell me what you were dreaming about a few minutes ago?" Darios asked.  "You sounded like you were in pain, and I want to make sure you're all right."  
  
Rowan didn't answer for a while.  He turned his face downward a little, trying to hide his embarrassment.  Eventually, he realized that Darios was probably not going to let up on the subject, so he relented, giving him his answer.  
  
"I was dreaming about you." Rowan blurted out.  "I'm so sorry.  I should've told you before I agreed to date you.  Ugh, this is so embarrassing.  You probably think I'm disgusting or something for admitting to something like that, huh?"  
  
"No, I don't.  I told you already.  I love you for everything you are, flaws and all." Darios grabbed Rowan and pulled him closer, gently kissing him on the cheek.  "Is this the first time you've had this kind of dream?"  
  
"N-No...  It's not." Rowan tried to answer as honestly as he could without divulging too many details.  "It's been the same dream each time."  
  
"If you're comfortable, please walk me through it.  Tell me what I do in that dream." Darios said, his tone and face as serious as ever.  
  
"Well, it starts off with us training and play-fighting.  Then, you pin me against a tree and get really close.  I asked you what you were doing because I was scared, but you didn't say anything." Rowan began.  Darios was already scared of what this story was going to turn into, but he steeled his nerves.  
  
"Can you tell me how it ended?  I'm nervous about what your dream was." Darios asked.  
  
"Don't worry.  It's not a bad dream.  It's not like you to assume something so quickly, Darios." Rowan said.  "Anyway, we just look at each other for a minute before you kiss me.  It's always the first kiss every time I have that dream, so I'm always nervous going in.  However, you always manage to calm me down just by being with me."  
  
Darios blushed a little.  Rowan's dream was turning out to be sappier than he had anticipated, and it only made him want to cuddle the blond prince more.  However, he was simultaneously so horny that it was hard for him to look at Rowan without wanting to take him right there.  Darios took a breath to calm himself before he spoke again.  
  
"I-I'm flattered that my presence brings you peace even in your dreams." Darios said.  "What happens next?"  
  
It was Rowan's turn to pause.  This was when the dream started getting dirty, and as much as he wanted to tell Darios how much he loved it, he didn't want to seem like he was begging for sex.  
  
"Next, you start touching me, and your hands aren't shy at all.  You don't waste any time taking my armor and clothes off." Rowan continued.  "When I'm just in my underwear, you start taking your clothes off, and I can't take my eyes off of you.  Your muscles are glistening with sweat, and the sight makes it hard for me to control myself."  
  
Rowan was so hard that even talking about how sexy Darios was when he was sweaty was borderline painful.  Seeing muscular guys sweating was one of Rowan's biggest weaknesses, which sometimes made sparring with other men difficult.  He was unabashedly undressing Darios with his eyes as he described more and more of his erotic dream, wanting to get under his clothes increasingly with each passing minute.  Darios was aware of it almost instantly, especially because of the way Rowan's voice quivered as he retold this part of the dream.  A mischievous smile crept onto his face.  
  
"Now that you mention it, it is hot in here, isn't it?" Darios moved closer to Rowan, that impish smile never leaving his face.  Rowan shuddered as Darios's hand came to rest on his thigh.  "That, and we haven't taken off our armor yet.  Shall we kill two birds with one stone?"  
  
Rowan was fully aware that Darios was toying with him, and he didn't mind it one bit.  He wordlessly agreed, removing his own armor before helping Darios with his and laying them on the side.  Darios's shirt was the next garment to go after that, and he teased Rowan mercilessly as he slowly pulled up the hem of his shirt and sometimes pushed it back down when he looked especially thirsty.  Once the garment was off, Rowan took a moment to drink in the sight before him.  The rough day that they had both had before definitely helped in the sweat department, since Darios's shirt had stuck to him a little as he was taking it off.  On top of that, Darios's musky scent was fairly strong from their proximity alone.  Darios then helped Rowan out of his shirt, revealing pale skin underneath that created a farmer's tan line with the rest of his more sun-kissed skin on the outside of his clothes.  Next, the pants came off, and this time, Darios made the first move on Rowan's trousers.  He undid Rowan's belt and pants deftly, pulling them down past his butt before removing Rowan's shoes, after which, he took pulled his pants the rest of the way down.  Rowan quickly found himself losing his senses with Darios touching him, letting out a moan when his hands accidentally brushed against his clothed erection in the process of removing his pants.  Now, Rowan was in nothing but a pair of tan briefs, a wet patch forming in the front from precum.  Although he wasn't naked yet, Rowan felt incredibly exposed.  He shyly crosses his legs and closed his body up.  Darios looked concerned, gently approaching Rowan and touching his jaw to turn his head up.  
  
"What's wrong?" Darios's voice was gentle and soft.  
  
"T-The dream never went past us taking our shirts off.  Before we went any further, I'd wake up with a huge mess in my pants." Rowan blushed.  "I just... feel so defenseless like this."  
  
"Please, don't worry.  I'm not going to hurt you." Darios leaned into Rowan's ear.  "Unless you want me to~"  
  
Rowan couldn't deny that that offer was tempting.  After seeing Darios under the Chaos Dragon's influence, he couldn't help but wonder whether that arrogant, sadistic personality had been laying dormant under the kind, gentle persona he had known for years.  However, that threw a lot of what Rowan thought he knew about the situation into confusion.  If Darios wasn't being manipulated, why was he being kind to him and Lianna for as long as he was?  Certainly, there had to be something pulling the strings, since Darios did seem to return to his normal state for a brief moment in battle.  On top of that, that brought up the question of what the purpose of the Gristonne guards' torture was if Darios could already turn into a different personality that suited their needs.  Unable to really think it through further, Rowan only gave a frightened look back at Darios, hoping he would drop the subject.  
  
"O-Of course since it's our first night together, I can be gentle if you'd like." Darios let Rowan come into his arms.  Rowan's mouth and nose wandered hungrily, leaving kisses all around Darios's neck and ears.  Darios chuckled as Rowan so wantonly drank in his sweaty, musky scent.  
  
"D-Darios..." Rowan moaned, undeniably high off of what he was smelling.  Darios turned his head up and claimed his lips in one more fiery hot kiss.  His hand gently ran over Rowan's bulge, making the blond prince gasp and cry out in pleasure.    
  
"If your intent was to not bed me tonight, then you're not doing a very good job of following your plan~" Darios squeezed lightly on the fleshy mound that his hand was covering, grinning at the beautiful noises Rowan was making.  "If you keep tempting me like this, I might not be able to control myself~"  
  
Rowan let out one more cry, this one louder than the others.  Darios looked down and saw that Rowan came in his underwear, thoroughly soaking the front through with his seed.  Rowan took a minute to return from his post-orgasmic high to realize what had happened before covering himself again.  
  
"W-What just happened?!  My smallclothes are all sticky now, and it's even worse than it gets with those dreams..." Rowan almost took his underwear off right there, but he didn't, not wanting to expose himself to Darios any more than he had already let himself become.  
  
"You haven't had an orgasm before?" Darios was a little confused.  "But didn't you say your dreams always ended with a mess in your pants?"  
  
"Yeah, but not like this!" Rowan covered himself haphazardly with his discarded clothes.  
  
"So that really was your first orgasm, huh?" Darios leaned down to kiss Rowan once more.  "How did it feel?"  
  
"I... never thought it would feel that good." Rowan replied.  "I have to say I enjoyed it way more than I'd ever care to admit..."  
  
"Why are you so embarrassed by this?  I don't see anything unnatural in the way you reacted, especially if you're as much of a virgin as you are." Darios's tone became more concerned.  
  
"I...  I dunno.  I just never got taught about it properly, I guess." Rowan slowly let his clothes drop from his hands, now coated in cum.  
  
Darios paused for a minute to think his next move through.  He could either let Rowan go to sleep and talk about it more in the morning or ask for more of his time to talk about it now.  On one hand, Darios could only imagine how self-conscious and embarrassed Rowan was at experiencing his first orgasm in front of someone he had been pining for years. On the other hand, Darios also knew that the twins were very heavily protected growing up, and they were never allowed out on their own until they turned 16.  Even at age 20, it seemed that Rowan still had a lot to learn about the world, so Darios felt like he needed to capitalize on this situation to teach Rowan some important life lessons.  
  
"Then, shall I teach you?" Darios asked.  
  
"P-Please!  I want you to show me everything I've been missing." Rowan seemed to be determined to hear this from Darios, even if he didn't understand what that meant.  Realizing this, Darios asked one more question and revealed his true intentions.  
  
"Are you truly sure you're okay with me being your first time?  That was what I was intending to ask you through that question." Darios explained.  Rowan's thoughts didn't seem to change all that much.  
  
"Yes, I've wanted this for so long.  I even asked you for this in the medical tent.  Why'd you say no then?" Rowan responded with a question of his own.  
  
"Because... I couldn't possibly do it in front of your mother, sleeping or not.  It would be highly disrespectful to deflower the queen's son in front of her." Darios answered.  Rowan was not surprised at all, since Darios was so formal and gentlemanly for even the smallest things.  The wording could have been a little less direct, but it got the point across.  Now both of them were on the same page.  
  
"But we're alone now, right?" Rowan said, a small smile on his face.  
  
"We are indeed alone." Darios moved closer, a similar smile on his face as well.  
  
"What's stopping you, then?" Rowan asked.  
  
"I need to make sure that you're completely okay with this.  You can't exactly redo a first time, right?" Darios said dryly.  
  
"I guess not.  But to answer your question, yes, I do want this.  I've wanted you for years now, and I've been completely unable to contextualize it.  Please give me that context with all of your heart." Rowan took a moment to realize how sappy that sounded before snickering to himself.  Darios caught on and laughed right along with him.  
  
"All right, then.  Just let me know how you're feeling.  We can stop whenever you want, so just let me know when you're done." Darios proceeded to slide his pants and smallclothes the rest of the way off after Rowan had undone them in his sleep previously.  His cock stood at attention, fully erect and pulsing in the cool night air.  
  
"Wow...  I've never seen another man's... y'know..." Rowan's voice trailed off.  
  
"Another man's erection?" Darios completed the sentence for him.  "You at least know how this feels on your own body, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I do.  I had a faint idea of what it was, but I didn't know that so much other stuff was attached to it." Rowan watched, his mouth dry, as Darios gently laid him back and spread his legs.  Only then did he realize where Darios's cock was going to go.  He tensed up by reflex, his hole puckering tightly in front of Darios.  On the other side, Darios had been waiting for this moment for ages.  To see Rowan submitting himself to him and opening his body to receive him fully was something Darios could have only dreamed about in the past.  Now that it was actually happening, it felt like he finally did it.  Rowan opened his heart for Darios, and Darios had done the same for Rowan.  Now, all they had to do was become one.  Darios looked through his clothes to see if he had anything on him to serve as a lubricant, and in his pants pocket, there was a small vial and a note attached to it.  
  
_Prince Darios,_  
  
_I don't know if you'll need this tonight, but Marth asked me to give this to you.  He didn't give any context as to why.  Anyway, enjoy your night!_  
  
_Caeda_  
  
_She's perceptive.  And quite sneaky as well.  What a sly little girl..._ Darios thought to himself, thoroughly amused.  He opened the vial and coated one finger in the slippery substance and gently rubbed some of it onto Rowan's waiting entrance.  He slowly pushed the finger in, and Rowan bit his lip, trying to hold his voice back.  He was incredibly tight around just that finger alone, so Darios waited until he was more used to the sensation of having that finger inside him.  
  
"D-Darios...  What're you doing?" Rowan asked, somehow still coherent through his moans.  
  
"I'm preparing you.  To make sure it doesn't hurt as much as if I just took you dry." Darios calmly explained, still fingering Rowan all throughout.  He drank in all of his cute moans, relishing in how much pleasure Rowan was getting just from having a finger inside him.  After a while, he added another, slowly working Rowan open.  Over the course of the war, Darios sized up, figuratively and literally, the men in Rowan's ragtag group.  The size range was fairly well split between big and small, with Ryoma being the largest and Marth as the smallest.  From what he could tell, he wasn't sure if he needed more than two fingers to stretch Rowan out because he fell somewhere in the middle of the pool.  However, seeing that Rowan was a virgin, Darios added a third just in case, taking his time to make sure his lover was doing all right.  Once he felt that Rowan had been sufficiently prepared, Darios took his fingers out and slicked up his cock before lining himself up with Rowan's hole.  Rowan shivered in anticipation, missing the feeling of being filled.  
  
"I just want to ask you once more.  Are you sure you want to keep going?" Darios asked.  "I don't want to hurt you because of my selfish feelings.  I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I hurt you."  
  
"Darios, I've told you already.  I want you more than anything in the world.  I've never been so sure of anything in my life.  Just... fuck me already.  Please." Rowan pleaded, his eyes starting to fill with tears.  He wanted this so badly that it was making him blue in the face.  He had been waiting for years to have Darios's love like this, and now that it was finally happening, the moment was getting to him much quicker than he thought.  Darios gently reached up to Rowan's face to dry his eyes, kissing his cheek softly.  
  
"Then you'd better brace yourself.  With the way you're begging for me to take your virginity like that, how could I possibly hold myself back any longer~?" Darios left a mark on Rowan's neck before starting to push inside.  Rowan bit his lip, unfamiliar with the sensation of having the real thing inside him.  It stung a little, but Rowan didn't feel much pain because Darios had so diligently prepared him before.  Rowan was completely in shock at how Darios was able to go to the hilt in just the first thrust.  He didn't even bother holding back his voice, letting his cries out wantonly as Darios started moving inside him.  It took all of Darios's self-control to not just ram Rowan into oblivion, even though he wanted to do it so badly.  He kept the pace slow at first, letting Rowan adjust into the rhythm easily before picking up speed until Rowan could barely form sentences.  Rowan had never felt so much pleasure in his life.  He thought it couldn't get better than this, watching the love of his life become one with him like this.  All of a sudden, Darios brushed against a spot inside Rowan that made him scream louder and cum onto his stomach before he was even aware that he was close.  Rowan was startled by how quickly his orgasm set in, but he was even more startled that he was still hard after that.  
  
"Even after all that, you're still completely hard?  You've definitely got the endurance of a knight for being such a small fry~" Darios teased.  His voice started to lower as he started teasing Rowan increasingly ruthlessly.  "Tell me, Rowan.  Did you want to be a knight just so that you could train around big, strong men all day~?  Does even the mere sight of a huge man in even huger armor make you want to give yourself up to him like a hungry little whore~?  Did you want the entire Aytolisian army to fuck you like a worthless prostitute~?  Well?!  Answer me!"  
  
Even though Rowan could see the darkness behind Darios's sneering eyes, he was too horny to care about snapping him out of it.  After all, he was too tired to even fight back at this point, so the only thing he could do was enjoy it.  And enjoy it he did.  Thoroughly so.  
  
"Y-Yes!  I've always wanted that!" Rowan cried out, partially playing along, but also telling the truth.  Thoughts about what knights looked like under their armor definitely crossed his mind many a time, especially with the heavily armored guardian knights like Frederick, graceful paladins like Xander, or mysteriously exotic samurai like Ryoma.  However, those thoughts never went beyond physical fascination, unlike the erotic dreams he had with Darios in them.  Whenever Darios was like this, he always seemed to expect absolute obedience from whoever he was talking to.  He could see it in the way he commandeered the Chaos Dragon's forces, and it was certainly frightening at times.  However, now, it was only turning him on more to be commanded like that.  Rowan cried out again when Darios hit his prostate more directly.  
  
"Just as I thought.  You're a little freak, aren't you?" Darios started thrusting in even harder now that he found Rowan's prostate.  Every word was punctuated with either one of Rowan's cries or Darios's grunts.  "Oh gods, Rowan...  You're so fucking tight!"  
  
"D-Darios!" Rowan could only scream Darios's name as he felt his brains turning to mush.  He was getting close all over again, and Darios could see it in his expressions.  Eventually, they brought each other to their climax, with Rowan making even more of a mess all over himself and Darios pumping the younger prince full of his cum.  Only then did Darios snap out of his Chaos Dragon persona and realize what had happened.  In a panic, he rushed to clean up Rowan, holding him close and trembling in fear.  
  
"Rowan!  Are you okay?" Darios asked frantically.  "I've gone and done it, haven't I?  I'm so sorry I ruined your first time."  
  
"Darios...  I didn't mind, actually." Rowan panted, unbothered by Darios's cum leaking out of him.  "I've never been so thoroughly worked out in my life."  
  
"You... didn't mind that he took over for a little?" Darios asked.  
  
"Well, for now, I know that he's a part of you as much as the real you is, so I have to accept them both, right?" Rowan smiled weakly.  "I'd be a bad boyfriend if I didn't."  
  
"Although it comforts me that you weren't hurt, I still wish to have full control over myself when I'm making love to you." Darios replied.  "I just want to be there to see how good I make you feel in person rather than in spirit."  
  
"Well, you made me feel pretty good.  Even when you started insulting me, I was too far gone to really care too much." Rowan chuckled.  "You're really something else, Darios."  
  
"Heh.  As are you, my love." Darios pulled the blankets over them, holding Rowan against his body.  "I love you so much.  I'm sorry things ended up the way they have."  
  
"I thought I told you that you didn't have to apologize for that." Rowan sounded a little annoyed.  "I had a great time tonight, and I'm looking forward to much more like this."  
  
"No.  This is about the current state of affairs that I have left your kingdom in." Darios explained.  "I am ashamed that the weakness of my own heart caused your kingdom undue ruin.  From this point forward, I will fight by your side to right my own wrongs and atone for my kingdom's sins."  
  
"Thank you, Darios.  It means a lot that you want to support us." Rowan smiled.  "Now let's get some rest already.  I'm already feeling a little sore from how hard you were going tonight."  
  
"Very well.  Good night, my darling." Darios kissed Rowan on the forehead.  
  
"Good night, Darios.  I love you too, you corny little bastard." Rowan replied, drifting off to sleep in Darios's arms.  For now, all was peaceful in the camp, but starting tomorrow, they were going to have to fight for their lives to take Aytolis back from the Outrealm fiends.  They had a long battle ahead of them, but now that they had found each other, they felt more than ready to take it on.  However, in the back of Darios's mind, he knew that he was probably not going to be able to move his legs tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of doing a character from Awakening next. It's probably going to be Owain. He needs more love anyway.


	2. Owain/Rowan: A Quest for the Ages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this pair because they're both really showy in very different ways. Owain is more traditionally showy, whereas Rowan's actions are really showy, but his intent isn't always to be like that. On top of that, they both seem like the type to love adventure, so I think it works. In this one, Rowan also a virgin, but he has more background knowledge on gay sex than the way I portrayed him in the last story. Also, Owain makes references to characters from _The Magic Flute_ just because.

For the war that Aytolis was going through after the Outrealm fiends invaded, it was oddly quiet today.  Rowan had accidentally overslept through when he normally did morning training, but nobody seemed to scold him for his lapse of judgement.  Even Xander and Frederick, the most straitlaced of everyone in the group, were in relatively high spirits, and Navarre had even graced the mess tent with his presence rather than taking his food and eating alone on the training grounds like he usually did.  Rowan wasn't quite sure what was going on.  It wasn't a Aytolisian holiday, but these fighters all came from different countries and worlds, so it could have been a holiday elsewhere.  When Rowan arrived at the mess tent, almost everyone was there except for those who were watching over the food.  As Rowan had expected, Frederick was helming the culinary efforts, stirring a massive pot of what smelled like a soup made from an Aytolisian pheasant stock.  He looked in and he could see chunks of the pheasant meat floating in the broth with the bones, fresh pasta, and various vegetables.  This wasn't what Aytolisian chefs typically did with their poultry, so Rowan was excited to try it out.  He walked up and asked Frederick for a bowl, and he diligently poured him a sizeable portion of soup.  After thanking him, Rowan left and sat down in the first empty seat available in between Owain and Celica.  He would've started off by saying hello, but it sounded like Owain was in the middle of a grand tale of his heroism.  
  
"So picture this, milady.  I've been separated from the Shepherds, and curses!  A band of thieves has spotted me!  Their leader spares no extra breath in his encounter, and he draws his sword on me at the exact moment our eyes met.  Try as I might, my adversary can predict every move I try to make, and within mere minutes, I have naught but an incapacitated sword hand to defend myself with.  Does this not look like a perfect set-up for my tragic demise?" Owain's hands looked like they were dancing in the air, making melodramatic and grandiose movements that threatened to hit Lyn, who was sitting on Owain's other side.  Celica sat in awe and amazement, clearly suckered in by Owain's vivid storytelling.  
  
"Oh no!  That must have been quite the situation!" Celica replied.  "Did he break your hand in disarming you?"  
  
"Without question, milady.  I could immediately feel that all was not well in my sword hand after he knocked my blade from my grasp." Owain gestured dramatically towards his sword hand.  "I say to myself, 'Methinks this little scrape was more than what I had anticipated'."  
  
"I suppose that depending on the size of your opponent and the weapon he drew against you, it could have been very easy for him to break some bones in your hand if he hit hard enough." Celica ate some of her soup.  "Please continue, Owain.  Your story has me at the edge of my seat in anticipation!"  
  
"But of course, my fair Celica.  It is as you say: the show must go on!" Owain smiled.  "So, I am faced with quite the dire situation at this moment.  My sword hand is broken, my blade is lodged in the ground and out of reach, and my allies are nowhere to be found.  Though I wondered whether this would be the end of the Dark Swordsman, I knew that my destiny had more in store for me than a pitiful death at the hands of some petty thief!  As he prepared his next attack, I skillfully maneuvered in front of my weapon to lure him into a devious trap!  The next time he lunged at me, I dodged him, and he stumbled over the hilt of my forgotten blade!  Oh, the cruel irony of being undone by one's own doing!"  
  
Celica laughed at the newest development in Owain's tale.  Rowan couldn't help but chuckle himself, even though he wasn't sure how much of it was real and how much of it was fabricated.  Even so, he was completely hooked, excited to hear what happened next.  Ever since Owain swooped in to save Lissa from being overwhelmed during Frederick's trial, Rowan found a fast friend in him.  They shared a similar hunger for fantastic adventures and heroism, which allowed them to easily bond as fellow swordsmen and fighters under the same cause.  To the relief of the Ylissean warriors, that friendship seemed to temper Owain's theatrics quite a bit.  Where the question of who would be the recipient of his antics used to fall on a rotation of who was willing to sit through a story of a fight they had experienced in the past, Rowan could sit through each one and seem genuinely interested each time.  It did help that they were from different countries, but even then, it wasn't a permanent solution.  Once Rowan started discerning what was and wasn't fact, his reactions became more muted.  Even though he still loved being around Owain and listening to him talk about his heroism for hours on end, there were times when it wore on him a little.  
  
"As my enemy scrambles to his feet, attempting to mask his embarrassment, I use my other hand to retrieve my blade and deliver the final strike!  Seeing as it was borne of special circumstances, I gave this attack a special name to suit the occasion!  I called it, Bane of the Impetuous Warrior: Reverse Blade Strike!" Owain raised his left hand, which he was holding his spoon with, and raised it up triumphantly before twirling the spoon a few times and thrusting it into the back of whoever was on his left, which happened to be Lyn.  
  
"Ow!  What was that for?!" Lyn got up, clearly displeased with what had happened.  "You should be lucky that was a spoon.  Otherwise, I would've been angrier and in much worse shape than I am now."  
  
"L-Lady Lyndis!  I had n-no idea you were in the way of my reenactment of the final killing blow.  My sincerest apologies for disrupting your meal." Owain's face turned a little pale, his features downturned.  However, Lyn didn't stay mad for long.  She chuckled and gently rapped him on the hand with her spoon.  
  
"Just be careful when you're telling your stories next time.  I can't say I've met someone as eccentric as you, so it's a delight to hear talk about your adventures like this." Lyn sat back down.  "Please, do continue.  It looks like Lady Celica was really getting into it."  
  
"Very well.  Many thanks for your patience, milady." Owain turned to Celica after responding to Lyn and he was equally shocked to see Rowan sitting in front of her.  "Lord Rowan!  You're unseasonably tardy today.  Are you unwell?"  
  
"No, I'm fine, Owain." Rowan chuckled.  "I'm more shocked that you didn't notice me sit in front of Celica while you were telling your story."  
  
"Ha!  What an interesting observation, my brother-in-arms!" Owain laughed heartily.  "When I am in the throes of passion, recounting the numerous adventures I have seen and experienced in my resplendent journey to find the blade of my destiny, it is not so surprising that simple details slip out of my perception."  
  
"Buuut, missing someone walking in front of you is a pretty big oversight, don't you think?" Rowan suppressed a chuckle.  
  
"Ah, but when the adventures to recount are as illustrious and extravagant as those I have experienced, the emotions that move my heart as I tell stories are enough to utterly blind me with passion and wanton desire for more adventure!" Owain seemed to have a pretty well thought-out comeback for how tediously expansive his vocabulary appeared to be.  Rowan didn't feel like arguing the technicalities of Owain's inattentiveness and let himself relax and go for the ride.  
  
"So why don't you tell us what happened next?" Rowan had some soup.  
  
"Indeed I shall!" Owain paused, a sweat starting to break out on his forehead.  Rowan could faintly hear him mumbling to himself to try and recollect his thoughts.  
  
"Weren't you at the part where you struck the enemy from behind with your left hand?" Celica swooped in to save the day with her attentiveness to Owain's story.  
  
"Oh, how gracious of you to assist me, Lady Celica!  I was just about to get to that part!" Owain seemed to brush the whole thing off, even after acknowledging the fact that Celica picked up the slack for him.  "Once the final blow connected, I could feel the release of my foe's life energy into the earth around him.  Realizing I had won, I pointed my blade at his toadies, daring them to strike me."  
  
"Did they attack?" Celica asked.  
  
"Funny you should ask, Princess!  The truth of the matter is that my foes were so stricken with fear that they couldn't bear the sight of their leader's killer, let alone the possibility that he might kill them!" Owain seemed to sound especially proud of himself here.  Rowan had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes or scoffing sarcastically.  "However, I felt especially merciful that day and allowed the rest of the fiendish guild to escape with their lives.  I have faith that even a mere mention of my name without my full title will send them running for the hills the next time they get the urge to poach that which they have no claim to!"  
  
"That was a wonderful story, Owain." Celica clapped for the end of his story.  "I can't believe you fought those thieves outnumbered and with an injured hand!  Your bravery is truly inspiring to me."  
  
"Oh, please!  It is my duty as a hero to thwart evil, however big or small!" Owain raised his spoon hand before a much larger hand gently lowered onto his head.  It was Frederick.  
  
"Owain, a moment of your time, if you would." Frederick waited for Owain to stand up before walking him to the side.  No longer obscured by Owain's ostentatious displays, Lyn bent forward to look at Rowan more directly.  
  
"Owain was right.  It is very late for you to just be joining us." Lyn commented.  "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"I had a bit of a rough night with training last night.  Xander was lecturing me about how I talked about my father." Rowan sighed.  "I just don't get the issue.  He's dead, so he can't be there to punish me for saying something critical about him.  Why do I need to pussyfoot around like he's still alive and watching me?"  
  
"I think what he wanted to say was that you ought to respect your father more for what he was able to do, not hold him to a standard he couldn't possibly achieve." Lyn replied.  "Even if he wasn't physically strong, if your father could rally and motivate the people of Aytolis to fight for noble causes in his name, I would say he made a fine ruler."  
  
"But does it matter at all if you can't be with your people directly to tell them that?" Rowan asked.  "If I have to be king, I want to be there with my soldiers, fighting alongside them to strike fear into our enemies' hearts directly.  I don't want to feel like I'm not doing anything."  
  
"Even if you don't or can't fight, you can still contribute to the betterment of your country in times of war." Celica chimed in.  "For instance, priests and other religious leaders can motivate people through shared connections based on faith, and performers can inspire courage through their art.  There's a lot you can do without raising a weapon on another."  
  
Before Rowan could adequately respond, Frederick and Owain returned.  
  
"Lord Rowan!  I beseech your assistance for this quest Frederick has assigned to me!" Owain immediately lifted Rowan out of his chair, nearly knocking his soup bowl over and causing Frederick's eye to twitch dangerously in the process.  
  
"H-Hey!  What're you manhandling me for?!  I can walk on my own, I'll have you know!" Rowan swung his legs a little, trying to make Owain put him down without kicking Lyn or Celica.  Eventually, a death glare from Frederick told Owain to drop the act and let Rowan eat in peace while the situation was to be explained to him calmly and rationally.  
  
"Lord Rowan, I request that you serve as Owain's guide.  Lord Chrom wishes to form a diplomatic relationship with Aytolis, so he wants to send a letter to the castle in the hopes that Queen Yelena will read it and grant him an audience." Frederick explained.  Rowan was greatly confused.  
  
"But my mother's either dead or missing.  There's no point in sending a letter to the castle unless you're sending it to the foreign ambassadors for review first." Rowan said.  Frederick slowly beckoned on Rowan, lowering his volume to make sure Owain wouldn't hear anything he was going to say.  
  
"I know exactly what you're saying, and that is the point.  We are sending Owain on this farce of an errand to spare the camp from a play they didn't buy a ticket for and didn't want to attend in the first place." Rowan raised an eyebrow, confused at how much this seemed to be affecting Frederick.  He didn't know that Frederick felt that way about Owain's behavior at all.  Usually, if Chrom were okay with something unconventional or someone with a wacky personality, Frederick could usually bring himself to accept their existence for the sake of his lord.  However, it was likely the shock that Owain was going to be Lissa's child, and the fact that Lissa was going to have a child at all for that matter, that affected Frederick the most.  He could only wonder what kind of loon had to marry her for their child to turn out like Owain had turned out.  
  
"So you want me to basically lead him on and make sure he doesn't hurt himself?" Rowan asked.  
  
"Exactly.  I know you get along with him the easiest, so he would probably be less likely to see through my plan if you were there to keep him entertained all throughout." Frederick said, practically boring a hole through Rowan's eyes with his glare.  
  
"Y-You're not exactly going to take no for an answer, right?" Rowan sneakily tried to get out of his seat, but Frederick's menacing aura overwhelmed him.  
  
"You would be correct." Frederick said.  "He's about to leave any minute now, so go with him and make sure he's alive when he returns.  I will send you off with some funds, food, and camping supplies if you are out late."  
  
"Y-Yessir..." Rowan sunk into his chair, completely sumbmissive to Frederick's will.  He left the table to go find Owain.  As he left the mess tent, he could hear someone shouting off in the distance.  As he walked to the source, he realized that it was just Owain on the training grounds, whacking away at a training dummy with a practice sword and trying to come up with flashy new attacks to use during his latest quest.  Rowan felt a little unhappy with the way Frederick and some of the more serious soldiers treated Owain.  In Rowan's eyes, he always admired how much work Owain put into himself.  Whether it was just to show off or to actually be stronger was not his concern.  On top of that, his personality was quite charming too.  Every day was a new adventure to him, and that joie de vivre was absolutely contagious.  Before Rowan could catch himself ogling at his soon-to-be companion, Frederick approached him from behind and bumped his head with a tent pole accidentally.  
  
"H-Hey!  What's the big idea?!" Rowan turned, annoyed.  
  
"My apologies, milord.  I've prepared your food, your spending money, and your tent.  This pack should be perfectly manageable for you to carry unassisted." Frederick handed Rowan a purse filled with gold coins, a bag with some warm wooden containers in it, and a knapsack filled with camping supplies.  He had a similar set of equipment waiting for Owain.  
  
"Hark!  Could it be that the time for my quest to begin is nigh?!" Owain turned and dropped his practice sword, jogging over to Frederick to receive his equipment and Chrom's "letter".  "Prince Rowan, are you to accompany me on this journey?"  
  
"Y-Yes!  As a matter of fact, I am!" Rowan tried his hardest to play along and not clue Owain in on Frederick's true intentions.  "I can't wait to get going already, so let's not waste any time!"  
  
"Well said, my friend!  Dear Frederick, we shall take our leave of you in due time.  Give our regards to Lady Lianna!" Owain took Rowan's hand without thinking and started walking away.  Rowan's face turned beet red as Owain was dragging him off towards Aytolis Castle.  Frederick said nothing, but he did wave them goodbye.  Once he was sure they were out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the fence of the training grounds.  With the map that he supplied Owain, they were certain to be away for a while.  Frederick returned to the mess tent to find that the crowds had dispersed, and everyone was largely done.  Rowan's table settings were still there.  Unable to fathom wasting a single drop of soup, Frederick finished the bowl, as much as his well-mannered self was disgusted at doing so.  The only one who remained was Tharja, who was serving herself some soup now that Frederick was no longer manning the food.  She poured some of it into a separate container and retrieved more soup to replace it in her bowl.  From the dead serious look in her eyes, Frederick felt like she could see right through him.  
  
"T-Tharja...  You're... quite late for lunch... you know?" Frederick tried not to lose his cool.  Even after Chrom recruited Tharja, he was still suspicious of her not just as a Plegian, but also as a dark mage with peculiar tastes.  Tharja leaned in closer, her body nearly touching his.  
  
"I know where that map I cursed went now..." she whispered, the calm anger in her voice leaving Frederick completely unnerved.  He backed away from her, holding Rowan's empty bowl as a poor excuse for a shield.  
  
"K-Keep your curses far from me!  I... I had no choice in this matter!" Frederick was clearly scared out of his wits.  "It was Lord Chrom's orders.  I-I could not disobey."  
  
"What a wonderful, beautiful, festering pile of hogwash..." Tharja's eyes narrowed dangerously.  "You act like an elephant seeing a mouse for the first time...  How unfortunate, seeing that Chrom's life is in your hands and you cannot even dispose of a delicate, frail mage such as myself."  
  
"You leave Lord Chrom out of this!" Frederick nearly lashed out at Tharja with Rowan's spoon, but her extended hand was enough to stop him.    
  
"If you wanted my map... you should have just asked me." Tharja started to approach Frederick, a dark, foreboding aura emanating from her being.  "I too think that Owain could stand to be... cursed for a time, hm~?"  
  
"H-How...?  How is it that I cannot hide anything from you?!  How is it that you could find out my secret with just a glance?!" Frederick was completely distraught at this point.  
  
"It's quite simple, actually.  You Ylissean men are so easy to read sometimes~" Tharja giggled softly.  "You, much like your lord and his sister, wear your heart on your sleeve.  Your blunt straightforwardness is such a blessing in a world complicated by political inclinations, betrayal, and intrigue... but it can also be a curse when you decide it's your turn to lie."  
  
"T-True.  I... cannot say that I am a good liar." Frederick seemed to be a little more calm now for some reason.  "But how did you find out my true intentions just from looking at me?"  
  
"Because I knew you stole my map." Tharja explained.  "I was intending to pass it to Owain myself... but it seems that you were kind enough to do it for me."  
  
"N-No way..." Frederick couldn't bring himself to look at Tharja any longer.  Her presence in itself was already unsettling, and to know that she was planning to do the same thing to Owain made him fearful that she was leading him to a death trap.  Fearful for the repercussions of his actions, Frederick dashed out of the room to retrieve his armor, his axe, his shield, and his horse.  Tharja could only look on, thoroughly unamused.  
  
"This is the man assigned to defend Chrom's life...?  I wonder about him sometimes..." Tharja sighed, taking her bowl of soup out of the tent to eat it on her own.

* * *

"But we've already passed this intersection!" Rowan whined.  "You can't be telling me that we haven't seen it yet!  We've been out for hours now!  It's nearly sunset!"  
  
"Must I shove this map in your face every time, boy?!" Owain showed Rowan the map, holding it out for him to see.  Rowan squinted, trying to figure out something that was amiss, but he couldn't.  
  
"This map looks perfectly normal to me.  It's a map of Aytolis with a clearly marked route to the castle town.  I have no idea what you're talking about when you say you're seeing something different." Rowan shrugged.  
  
"Doth mine eyes deceive me yet again?!" Owain struck a needlessly dramatic pose meant to personify his suffering.  "Oh, alack!  I am wrought with the desire to gouge these useless orbs out of my head should they continue to torment me so!"  
  
"All right, gimme the map." Rowan tried to snatch the map out of Owain's hands.  "You might be a pretty good swordsman, but you're no navigator, it seems."  
  
"Are you daft, boy?!  I am the hero of this story!  It is my sworn duty to guide you, my faithful sidekick!" Owain refused to give the map up.  "It would do a grave injustice unto this narrative to switch the dynamic right now!"  
  
"But you're clearly not getting us anywhere!" Rowan took hold of the map and tried to yank it away, but Owain didn't relent.  
  
"What does it matter?!" Owain shouted back, pulling the map towards himself.  
  
"It matters if we die!" Rowan responded in kind.  
  
"No matter what, I shall not give up this map!" Owain started pulling even harder.  
  
"And that means I won't either!" Rowan pulled too and tore the map as a result.  They both recoiled from the energy they spent pulling away from each other and landed on their asses.  An angry scowl crossed Rowan's face.  
  
"You know what, let's just camp here.  I'm done traveling for the day." Rowan threw his pack down angrily and hastily started setting up his tent.  
  
"So be it." Owain did the same, building his tent several feet away from Rowan's.  As the sun set and day turned to night, Rowan glumly ate the dinner that Frederick had prepared for him alone in his tent.  Not even his favorite meal of grilled bison could lift the heaviness he felt in his heart.  All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew and just as quickly as his tent had been set up, it was fluttering in the breeze like a kite.  Rowan grabbed for it, but he was too late.  All he was left with was a bed roll and his other supplies.  Unwilling to ask Owain for shelter, he decided to bear with the cold and eat the rest of his dinner.  However, both Rowan and his food got chilly rather quickly.  He couldn't deny that he needed something to cover him, and Owain's tent was the best thing there was for miles.  Nervously, he packed his food and his remaining supplies and knelt by Owain's tent.  Before he tried to get into the tent, he could hear some faint noises coming from it.  It sounded like... crying?  _Owain_ was crying?  Rowan carefully let himself in, and he couldn't believe what he saw.  Owain was wrapped up in the blanket Frederick had packed for him, his body heaving erratically with sobs.  He sounded like he was really going through it, and Rowan almost felt guilty that he was the cause.  He sat by Owain's bedside and gently touched his head.  
  
"Hey, Owain...?" Rowan spoke softly.  "I wanted to say I'm sorry for the fight we had earlier.  I felt like I wasn't giving you any time to explain yourself properly, and I really treated you badly when you weren't doing anything wrong.  I'd be happy even if you thought of forgiving me for only a second."  
  
"It's fine, Rowan..." Owain sighed, emerging from his blanket.  "I... I wanted to apologize to you as well.  I wasn't being fair to you then.  This is your home country, and you do know it better than anyone other than Lianna.  I was stupid to think that I could brute-force my way through this task.  I'm never going to be worthy of a greatness such as the Hero King Marth's, will I?"  
  
"Stop saying things like that." Rowan was kind of shocked to see how different Owain was when he wasn't putting on a show.  It was certainly refreshing, to say the least.  "Lianna criticizes me all the time for doing things without thinking, and neither of us were thinking then.  If she came with us, she would never have let us hear the end of this, right?"  
  
"I-I suppose so." Owain chuckled weakly.  
  
"Owain, if it's okay with you, could you tell me why you were crying?" Rowan asked.  
  
"Well...  I knew this was a scheme from the beginning." Owain sighed.  "I had a feeling that Frederick was at his wit's end with me, especially after I tried to take a fort when I was clearly disadvantaged to prove to him that I could be just as strong as he was.  I knew already that a lot of them were starting to tire of my mannerisms very early on, and it made me insecure about being that way around them."  
  
"Wow...  I'm so sorry, Owain." Rowan moved a little closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"When he told me about this mission, I knew in my mind that he was trying to rid himself of me, even if just for a little bit.  I just... didn't expect for him to give me this blasted trick map." Owain looked at his half of the map, internally cursing every fiber of its existence.  "Now I've not only proven that I can't do a simple errand, but I've also lost something very important to me."  
  
"And that is...?" Rowan asked.  Owain looked directly into his eyes.  
  
"Your friendship." A gentle blush spread across Owain's face.  "Rowan, I was so happy that I found someone who appreciated my theatrics.  I was almost certain that I would never have to change myself ever again with your support.  However, after experiencing what it would've been like without you, I...  I just couldn't go on."  
  
Owain had lost his composure once again, and Rowan let him bury his face in his shoulder.  He gently held Owain in his arms, glad to finally be coming to an understanding with the real man and not just the image he built for himself.  Owain composed himself eventually and looked back at Rowan, returning to his previous position.  
  
"Well, now you don't have to not go on." Rowan smiled.  "I'll be by your side for as long as you're here in my world.  You can count on me, your trusty sidekick!"  
  
"Heh.  Thanks." Owain gently mussed up Rowan's hair.  "But is that all I am to you?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.  
  
"Am I nothing more than just the Chrom to your Frederick?  The Tamino to your Papageno?" Owain responded with his own question.  "Are we fated to be hero and sidekick for the rest of our lives?"  
  
"Owain, I don't quite get what the issue is." Rowan stretched his back out a little.  "Just cut the metaphors and get to the point, please."  
  
"O-Okay..." Owain stuttered.  He paused to take a breath.  "Is our relationship not meant to go further than this?"  
  
Now, Rowan was starting to blush.  Once Owain started speaking more directly, he felt like he understood what was going through his mind.  With this new information, Rowan finally felt like he could answer Owain properly.  
  
"Well...  I think it can." Rowan replied.  
  
"You mean...?" Owain's voice trailed off.  
  
"I've been in meaning to speak to you like this for a long time, Owain." Rowan said.  "I thought I had finally found someone who shared the same appetite for heroism and strength that I have.  You've got enough of that for me and the rest of the army to not need any inspiration of our own for a while.  You challenge me to seek all new heights as a warrior and keep going when things aren't looking good.  You bring my life so much happiness I don't think I'd ever be able to repay you in this lifetime.  You complete me, Owain.  I...  I love you!"  
  
There was a pause.  Nobody spoke for several minutes until Owain started crying again.  This time, the tears were from joy rather than sadness.  
  
"Rowan...  My darling prince...  I have held these feelings back in my heart from the day I first laid eyes on you!" Slowly but surely, the showy Owain was coming back, even through all of his emotions.  "I once thought that a prince of the sun would never make a good match for a warrior of the dark such as myself, but as I have seen tonight, you bring my life balance rather than disorder.  When I see you fight so hard for those you love and care about, it reminds me of the most satisfying aspects of being a chosen hero.  Seeing the people I love smiling and cheering me on brings me more happiness than any amount of riches ever could.  Now, I feel as if I have found my loudest, most dedicated cheerleader in you, Rowan.  I, the Dark Swordsman Owain, have fallen completely and unequivocally in love with you as well!"  
  
With that, Owain pushed Rowan down onto the bed roll and kissed him.  Rowan yelped at how suddenly Owain was on top of him, but he wasn't complaining one bit.  He relished in how hungrily Owain claimed his lips before moving on to suck on his neck and collarbones.  When it got too hard to suck on skin, Owain took off Rowan's cape and armor, giving him easier access to his shirt.  He eased Rowan's arms up and pulled the shirt over his head, marveling at the beauty of the man underneath him.  
  
"H-Hey, Owain...  Stop staring at me..." Rowan's blush turned even brighter.  
  
"How can I help myself when my love is the most beautiful specimen of man I have ever laid eyes on?" Owain wasn't at all shy about laying it on thick with his praises of Rowan.  "I want to seal our love with the ultimate pact.  I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine, now and forever."  
  
"Is that how you ask a guy for sex~?" Rowan chuckled.  
  
"Precisely!" Owain made a grand motion with his arms.  "Now, fall victim to your innermost desires and show me your truest, purest form!"  
  
Owain started to undo Rowan's pants and pulled them and his underwear off in one fell swoop.  Then, Owain started working on his clothes.  Once all of his armor and fur wrappings were off, Owain started removing his jacket and shirt, revealing a slim, toned body underneath his clothes.  Rowan licked his lips hungrily, starting to work on Owain's pants.  He fumbled a little bit with unfastening them since Ylissean and Aytolisian styles of pants were different from each other in how they fastened, but he managed to get them and Owain's underwear off as well.  Owain definitely was large for a man of his physique, but it didn't look completely improbable on him.  Owain didn't even have to say anything for Rowan to start sucking him off.  Owain bit his lip, hissing in pleasure as he felt Rowan's hot, wet mouth enveloping his cock.  Had Rowan had previous flings before?  He definitely seemed to be young for that, but he had to have known from someplace.  
  
"Don't you dare... tell me this is your... first time." Owain managed to say through his groans and pants.  
  
"Well, could it be that I'm just that naturally talented~?" Rowan asked.  Owain grinned.  
  
"You salacious little sneak~  I'll make sure to use every bit of that talent of yours~" Owain started to move Rowan's head on his dick.  Rowan moaned lewdly around the swollen flesh in his mouth, his voice vibrating around it and giving Owain indescribable pleasure.  He bit back some curses while Rowan worked his magic on his erection.  Eventually, Owain could barely hold himself back, and he came right in Rowan's mouth.  Not missing a single beat, Rowan swallowed every last drop until all that was left was the cum on his lips.  He then kissed Owain, the taste of his cum still in his mouth and on his lips.  Owain thought he would've been more disgusted by this, but he actually thought he didn't taste as bad as he was expecting.  
  
"Mmm..." Rowan hummed contentedly.  "You taste sweeter than ambrosia itself~"  
  
"You flatter me, Rowan." Owain gently patted his head.  "But I've still got a lot more left in me.  Shall we see this to completion?"  
  
"I do have one request." Rowan paused before they could go any further.  
  
"Anything, my love.  Anything for you~" Owain looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Pleasure me too~" Rowan stroked his own erection.  "I've been so horny just waiting for you to take me~"  
  
"As you have commanded, it shall be done~" Owain descended to Rowan's crotch and started to suck him off.  He was certainly the smaller of the two, but not by much.  There was still a fair amount for Owain to suck on.  Rowan unabashedly let out his moans, feeling Owain's voice vibrating against his cock as he occasionally moaned himself.  When he'd break for air, Owain's tongue would swirl around the head before the rest of his mouth got to work on putting his cock all the way in his mouth.  Eventually, Owain brought Rowan to orgasm as well, but he wasn't as keen on swallowing as Rowan was.  Rowan's cum ended up getting all over Owain's face, and Rowan reflexively closed his legs in embarrassment.  
  
"What's the matter?" Owain asked.  
  
"I...  I got it all over your face..." Rowan sounded scared.  
  
"Fear not, my beloved!  It was... actually quite enjoyable." Owain carefully wiped down his face with one of the pouches Frederick gave him to carry the food.  "Besides, I've... wanted to do so much more to you than just that~"  
  
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.  Instead of saying anything in response, Owain crawled in between Rowan's legs and gently spread them apart.  What he did next was something Rowan had never experienced before.  He buried his face right below Rowan's balls and started licking his hole and eating him out.  Rowan was shocked at the sensation, but he enjoyed every minute of it, perhaps even more than he enjoyed being sucked off.  Owain could feel Rowan's hole twitching and contracting against his tongue, and he even pushed it in a little to see how Rowan would react.  When he let out an even higher moan, he knew that he was onto something.  He kept tongue-fucking Rowan and teasing his balls as he came up for breath until he decided that he couldn't hold back anymore.  Owain used his own precum to slick up his cock and lined it up with Rowan's entrance.  He pushed in carefully, and Rowan let out a cry at the sudden stretch.  It was at this moment that Owain realized he didn't prepare Rowan properly, so he stopped at just the head, allowing Rowan plenty of time to adjust.  
  
"A-Are you okay?  I'm sorry I forgot to p-prepare you...  I was just so excited..." Owain almost wanted to pull out, but Rowan stopped him.  
  
"I-It doesn't hurt t-that much..." Rowan winced, trying to deal with it.  Tears were slowly rolling down his face.  Owain felt fortunate that he was modest in size, since he probably would've caused Rowan to bleed if he were on the bigger end of the size scale.  He held onto Rowan's hand, and Rowan's grip was borderline painful for a while.  Eventually, Rowan began to relax, and his hand grip wasn't quite so tight anymore.  
  
"C-Can I move now?  I'll try not to hurt you this time." Owain was now terrified, trying to treat Rowan like the most delicate flower in the land now that he accidentally hurt him.  
  
"I told you, I wasn't in that much pain." Rowan tried to reassure Owain.  "But yeah, start off slow."  
  
"All right." Owain refocused and started pushing into Rowan's body a little more.  He made it about half-way before he stopped to check on Rowan again.  After getting a go-ahead to push the rest of the way in, Owain buried himself to the hilt in Rowan's entrance.  It was hot, wet, and tight all at once inside, and he felt like he was going to burst if he couldn't move.  However, he needed to tame his desires for Rowan's sake.  He watched Rowan carefully for any signs to stop, but after a while of waiting for something that wasn't going to come, he decided to start moving.  Rowan started letting out more noises as Owain fucked him gently, his neck bending down to receive a kiss.  All he could see, hear, and think about was Owain, and he wouldn't have had it any other way.  Once he got comfortable, Owain started moving faster to push more moans out of Rowan.  However, he heard the sounds of horse hooves and pegasus wings off in the distance, so he shoved his pant leg into Rowan's mouth to quiet him down.  He listened further and heard the sounds of the wind blowing, the trees swaying, and armor clanking.  His hand wanted to reach for one of their swords, but he couldn't alert the passersby to his presence.  Instead, he focused on keeping Rowan quiet while still fucking him.  Shoving his discarded trousers into his mouth seemed to work just fine for the moment, but eventually, Rowan would need to breathe more easily.  Owain gently dislodged the cloth from his mouth and quieted Rowan's sounds with a kiss, holding it for as long as he could.  Eventually, he let Rowan take some breaths on his own before he put his makeshift gag back in.  It seemed that even without verbally communicating, they were able to adapt and shift their lovemaking to the situation just from gestures and actions alone.  Eventually, Owain found Rowan's prostate, which made him scream out louder, much to Owain's dismay.  The armor sounds made a sudden stop if to look around for something.  Then, once everything seemed to quiet down, Owain tried not to focus on that spot he found, but no matter what he tried, it was like his body was magnetized to Rowan's prostate.  
  
"A-Ah!  Owain!  Oh, gods!" Rowan was completely in heaven as Owain continued to thrust into him, abusing his prostate.  His hands gripped the bed roll beneath them, threatening to rip holes in it.  Owain also was lost in the warmth of Rowan's insides, thrusting ever harder and harder into him.  Before long, both of them were nearing the edge.  Owain could feel his core coiling up tighter and tighter with every passing moment.  
  
"Rowan...  I...  I'm so close!" Owain bent down to kiss the prince beneath him ferociously.  Their teeth clacked together, but neither of them really cared too much.  
  
"C-Cum inside me...  Please!" Rowan begged.  
  
"With... pleasure, love~" Owain breathed out, just about ready to let go.  Rowan came first, screaming something that sounded like Owain's name and spilling his seed all over himself.  Owain was second, pushing as far in as he could before filling Rowan with his cum.  They were still for a while before Owain softened enough to pull out more easily.  Owain collapsed onto the ground next to Rowan, both of them panting and coming down from their high.  However, they didn't have much time to bask in their afterglow, as someone was immediately upon their tent.  Owain frantically took Enliron from Rowan's belt and turned to point the blade at whoever was threatening to encroach upon their privacy.  However, his arm drooped and his face turned white when he realized that it was Cordelia who was checking on them.  She was equally embarrassed to see the aftermath of their crazed sex.  Owain went outside the tent, wrapping his lower half with their discarded clothes, to talk to Cordelia.  
  
"O-Owain!" Cordelia stammered.  "I-I was just checking on you!  Lord Chrom... t-told me to."  
  
"I-I assure you!  Everything is just p-peachy!" Owain could barely look at Cordelia.  "Rowan and I were... you know, getting to know each other..."  
  
"You certainly were..." Cordelia chuckled nervously, looking to her side as if to ask someone for help.  Frederick was nearby, listening to her explain what she saw Rowan and Owain doing in their tent, and after a few nods, he approached them himself.  
  
"I suppose this means that you two are unharmed, no?" Frederick asked.  
  
"Indeed.  We are all right." Owain replied, his features a little downturned from remembering what Frederick's plan was in sending him on the mission.  
  
"Owain, I believe I owe you an apology." Frederick sighed.  "I... I wasn't fair to you.  I should not have sent you on a false mission to make you go away for a long time.  On top of that, I should not have stolen that trick map from Tharja when it could've been put to better use to throw off our foes.  It was selfish and inconsiderate of me to even think of such a devious plot, and for that, I offer my sincerest apologies.  However, I believe that that was just the thing you needed, based on what Cordelia tells me."  
  
"Frederick, my friend.  No apologies are necessary." Owain smiled.  "I understand that I can be a lot to handle, and I'm trying to work on it.  I really am."  
  
"I suppose I now know what I need to do to divert your energy." Frederick seemed to make a note of what he was seeing, taking special care to remember that Rowan could be helpful for his purposes.  "In any case, Cordelia and I are here to retrieve you.  When you are finished, please pack up your supplies and come with us."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Frederick." Owain said.  "However, I think we may not be... capable of horseback travel at this moment."  
  
"Oh?  Why not?" Frederick asked.  
  
"Ummm..." Owain turned red.  "Can you give us a minute?"  
  
"...C-Certainly." Frederick only just realized what Owain and Cordelia were skirting around, and he started breaking out in a cold sweat.  Owain went back into the tent to see Rowan sitting up and rubbing his back.  
  
"Are you okay?" Owain asked.  
  
"Y-Yeah...  That was amazing~" Rowan went in for a kiss, and Owain happily obliged.  
  
"Thank you, Rowan.  Thank you for lifting this weight off of my shoulders." Owain held him in his arms for a little before separating.  "Anyway, we should get going.  Frederick and Cordelia are waiting for us."  
  
"Cordelia's here too?!" Rowan sprang up, but his aching back tempered his reaction a little bit.  
  
"You've been so focused on riding that pegasus, huh?" Owain chuckled.  "Just wait until we arrive at base camp.  I'll show you a good ride there~"  
  
"You're hell-bent on wearing me out, aren't you~?" Rowan gave a lusty grin.  
  
"Is it unusual?  As my sworn love, you ought to be able to keep up with me, no?" Owain asked.  
  
"If I can't keep up now, I'll work towards it, certainly." Rowan had Owain help him to his feet and into at least his pants.  "Could you help me with the rest of these?"  
  
"Of course, my love." Owain kissed Rowan's hand.  "Anything for you~"  
  
Owain dressed himself properly and helped Rowan as much as he could.  Once they were both ready to leave the tent, they rolled up the bed roll and broke down the tent.  Thankfully, it seemed that Rowan's tent had been snagged on a tree branch the whole time, so Cordelia was able to retrieve it for him.  Once they were all packed up, Owain got on Frederick's horse, Rowan was helped onto Cordelia's pegasus, and they took off for the base camp, anxiously waiting to be called upon for their first true quest together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm picking a Fates character next. I don't really know who it will be this time, but I'm sure with all the gorgeous men in Fates (especially from Nohr), something will work itself out.


End file.
